The cost of the investigation into Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Crystal Hill won’t be clear until the investigation is finished, as the law firm conducting it will bill the district at an hourly rate. That's according to the contract, which WFAE obtained in a public records request.
CMS is working with the law firm Brooks Pierce to conduct the investigation. Attorneys Elizabeth Troutman and Bryan Starrett, who bill at $275 per hour according to the contract, are listed as being “primarily responsible” for overseeing the services.
The firm notes that it also works with a public relations firm with two employees who work at rates of $450 and $350 per hour. The district is responsible for paying those costs as well.
Board chair Stephanie Sneed told WFAE the investigation could take “a few weeks.”
The contract period is listed as May 18 to June 30, 2027, meaning the firm became a CMS contractor well before the investigation into Hill was announced. An attached letter suggests CMS officially engaged the firm on this matter on June 8. Hill’s leave officially began on June 17, according to public records.
The contract offers no clues as to what specifically the investigation may be focusing on, but describes its services as “providing advice, counsel, and confidential privileged investigation related to an employment matter.”
The CMS Board has said Hill has been placed on leave pending “matters involving administrative and operational oversight,” but they have not elaborated, citing confidential personnel matters.
Hill has said she has not been told what the investigation is focusing on, but that she welcomes it and will participate openly and fully.
